Netherhouse (1600s - 1777)

Richard Scott (1612-1675) was the first member of the family to move to what was called the "Netherhouse" in Great Barr.

In 1666 a Hearth Tax Return confirms that the Netherhouse was one of the larger buildings in the area with 5 hearths.

The first probate inventory following the death of Richard Scott
in 1675 implies that the Netherhouse had been extended from an earlier
building on the site by referring to 'old' aspects of
the site. Some indication of the size of the house is
given by this inventory. In the best chamber there were 2 joint beds,
2 feather beds, one bed and bolster, on wool bed, a table, a press,
a chair, three stools, a trunk, a chest, two boxes, five baskets and
one mirror.

The 1675 Inventory

Two more probate inventories were drawn up in 1709 and 1715 following the death of William Scott and then his son Richard Scott. Both of these inventories are similar in content to the probate inventory of 1675. There is however now a mention of a cellar adjacent to the dairy house and buttery, as well as a cockloft and a barn.

The 1715 Probate

By 1760 the Netherhouse appears to have been transformed from an ordinary farmhouse to a building of more status. The building is described as a “handsome and commodious dwelling-house” with stables, a coach house and a walled garden.

The information above has been researched and provided by Peter Allen, Barr and Aston Local History Society.